2007 Outback 2.5 basic

 

Removed motor to install new clutch and now need to re-install engine.

 

Any tips on how to get the motor and manual tranny back together that last inch?

 

I have a pretty good alignment angle between the engine and tranny, the two lower studs are in their holes. I can't seem to get the input shaft from the tranny into the clutch and back of the motor (pilot bearing).

 

The tranny is out of gear so the input shaft will spin, I was hoping it would find its own rotational position by itself so the splines line up. I'm thinking its the tight tolerances between the tip of the tranny shaft and the pilot bearing.

 

Tranny is jacked up some, motor mount studs are clearing the frame by about an inch.

 

Any tips?

 

Thanks!

 

-mtnpat

Edited December 4, 201114 yr by mtnpat

Did you center the pilot tool when tightening the bolts on the pressure plate or did you let hang all on it's own? If you just hang the disc it will be out of alignment. You need to wiggle the alignment tool all the way up, down, left, and right, to find the center right after the pressure plate starts to grab the disc.

 

With the trans in gear you can turn the output stubs on the differential and it will turn the input shaft to get the splines lined up.

 

One of my tricks is to ratchet strap the engine to the firewall and ratchet it back to bring the angle of the bell housing away from vertical. This will give you more room to move the transmission around without hitting the firewall or tunnel, or getting the release fork hung up in the pitch mount bracket.

Did you center the pilot tool when tightening the bolts on the pressure plate or did you let hang all on it's own? If you just hang the disc it will be out of alignment. You need to wiggle the alignment tool all the way up, down, left, and right, to find the center right after the pressure plate starts to grab the disc.

 

I did NOT center the pilot tool as you suggest, I just let it hang. Going back out to see about doing it right. Makes sense, as I remember after installing clutch and removing and re-inserting pilot tool, it was a tight fit.

 

Seems like I am not even getting the shaft starting into pilot bearing.

 

Be back in a few.

 

-mtnpat

OK, motor is in!

 

I did pull motor back out of engine compartment and made sure clutch alignment tool was centering disk and with pilot bearing as well as it could. Then I just got in front of motor by myself (previously was using two people, one on each side of motor) and man-handled motor into position and got it started onto shaft. Then some small nudges on the 22mm crankshaft nut on front of motor to make sure splines were aligning, and it found its way home. Then a slow pull in using the tranny to motor bolts and she was done. Aligned motor mounts, exhaust and set her in position.

 

Thanks for your help.

 

-mtnpat

Did you center the pilot tool when tightening the bolts on the pressure plate or did you let hang all on it's own? If you just hang the disc it will be out of alignment. You need to wiggle the alignment tool all the way up, down, left, and right, to find the center right after the pressure plate starts to grab the disc.

 

I did NOT center the pilot tool as you suggest, I just let it hang.

 

BINGO! Attention to details is what makes or breaks almost any project.